This invention relates to an automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus which is used in combination with a paper sheet processing apparatus, and particularly relates to the automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus which can not only automatically supply sheets of paper to the processing apparatus but can also manually supply sheets of paper to the processing apparatus. The processing apparatus has a sheet passage opening provided in a housing, paper sheet processing means for processing sheets of paper and paper sheet guide means for guiding a paper sheet coming from the sheet passage opening to the paper sheet processing means and guiding a processed paper sheet coming from the paper sheet processing means to the sheet passage opening.
Heretofore, in the automatic paper sheet supplying operation by an automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus, paper sheets held in paper sheet holding means are automatically supplied one after another to a paper sheet processing apparatus and processed paper sheets discharged from a paper sheet passage opening are automatically stacked in stacker means.
In the conventional, manual paper sheet supplying operation, on the other hand, a separate paper sheet which is not held in the paper sheet holding means is supplied, by hand, to the sheet passage opening of the paper sheet processing apparatus, not by way of paper sheet holding means and a processed paper sheet discharged from the sheet passage is received by hand, not by way of stacker means.
The automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus of the type noted above is well known in the art, for instance as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Disclosure No. 56-53644 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-32937. In the automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Application Disclosure No. 58-53644 noted above, it is necessary, when changing an automatic paper sheet supplying operation over to a manual one, to remove all the processed paper sheets from the stacker means and then rotate the entire stacker means. When the stacker means is rotated, it is altered from a closed position, at which the sheet passage opening is covered, to an open position, at which the sheet passage opening is not covered. With the stacker means in the open position, paper sheets can be manually inserted into the sheet passage opening and also processed paper sheets discharged from the sheet passage opening can be manually received.
The stacker means, however, does not only have a high rigidity structure for holding a plurality of processed sheets but also has guide rollers and guide members for guiding the processed sheets, so that it is comparatively heavy in weight. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a comparatively large force to move the stacker means between the open position and closed position. In addition, when changing the automatic paper sheet supplying operation over to the manual one, the processed paper sheets have to be removed from the stacker means in advance. Therefore, switching the paper sheet supplying operation from an automatic to a manual mode requires a lot of effort and the operation of removing the plurality of paper sheets is rather cumbersome to the user.
In the automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-32937, when changing the automatic paper sheet supplying operation over to the manual one, a part of a guide member, which leads processed paper sheets discharged from a sheet passage opening to stacker means, is opened to make an opening and paper sheets are manually inserted into the sheet passage opening through the opening noted above and processed sheets discharged from the sheet passage opening are manually received through the opening.
In this apparatus, however, a part of the sheet guide means of the paper sheet processing apparatus projects through the sheet passage opening to the outside of the paper sheet processing apparatus, and the end of the projecting part of the sheet guide means reaches the afore-mentioned opening formed in the guide member of the automatic paper sheet supplying apparatus.
Therefore, when paper sheets are manually inserted into the sheet passage opening through the opening noted above, it is liable to erroneously insert a paper sheet not to the inlet side of the sheet guide means but to the outlet side thereof. Erroneous insertion of paper sheets will cause trouble in the paper sheet processing apparatus.